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literately's review against another edition
3.0
We read this for our homeschool curriculum (build your library). While it did a great job of painting a picture of this time in history for my children, and it tied in well with everything we were learning… it wasn’t our favorite or the most entertaining. The plot was simple and very obviously formulated just to describe the times. It worked great for what we needed it for, and it complimented our studies nicely. Still, it probably won’t be a book we read again and again.
ellsey's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Review by my 7 year old daughter
aielinnae's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
beyondevak's review against another edition
4.0
Quick Summary: A thrilling historical fiction adventure
My Review: Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan is the tale of a young boy who is called to face his destiny. Leaving everything that he knows, he sets off on an adventure of discovery. Along the way, he is assaulted with new sights, new sounds, and new experiences. What he learns about himself and those around him shape him, catapulting him through his own unique rite of passage.
Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: YA (Upper Elementary and Higher)
Educational Resource: Yes
#libraryfind
My Review: Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan is the tale of a young boy who is called to face his destiny. Leaving everything that he knows, he sets off on an adventure of discovery. Along the way, he is assaulted with new sights, new sounds, and new experiences. What he learns about himself and those around him shape him, catapulting him through his own unique rite of passage.
Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: YA (Upper Elementary and Higher)
Educational Resource: Yes
#libraryfind
ohemgeebooks's review against another edition
4.0
3.5⭐️
Great readaloud with the kids as part of their curriculum.
Great readaloud with the kids as part of their curriculum.
meowreads_94's review against another edition
4.0
** I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. **
My country does not have any desert. So when a story invites me to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of fabled desert route I take them immediately. And when a story evolve around the mesmerizing silk route, it grabs readers like me in a moment as we are waiting to experience that glorious journey on caravans there.
This book give us a the chance to have a look at the silk routes with Changli who is an orphaned and went with a caravan on silk route to find more about his father. Changli’s own adventure is very emotional as well as thrilled that we , the readers can thrust ourselves on the road and be a part of his journey without any hesitation.
I must say the book is very well written as the author is successful to make me feel all the sound , sights and rhythm of the beautiful and colourful caravans and their cultures moving on the Gobi desert. The beautiful writing explain nicely the feelings of Chengli to be lost in desert , to lost his identity in the desert with his father and his journey to find them all with his coming of age. What I really liked most is the character building of Changli. How he is always modest and honest to his elders but strong at the same time.
The plot progressed very quickly but the description of the environment was very vivid. This makes the book a quick read yet very much enjoyable. Others secondary characters were also interesting but I think the author could have played so much with ‘the fourth brother’ to make the storyline much more interesting. I actually llove the female character Meiling not ending up as heroin of Changli as there was not that kind of vibe I feel between them at all and at the end finding such no relation satisfied me .
the descriptions of the Silk Road makes a lively setting and that’s the main star of the book. It’s very hard to write good books for the middle grads. The author kept the book short but very nicely handled and goes for the straight story plot with balanced character development. Adults might get to struggle to enjoy this one but highly recommended for the middle graders.
My country does not have any desert. So when a story invites me to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of fabled desert route I take them immediately. And when a story evolve around the mesmerizing silk route, it grabs readers like me in a moment as we are waiting to experience that glorious journey on caravans there.
This book give us a the chance to have a look at the silk routes with Changli who is an orphaned and went with a caravan on silk route to find more about his father. Changli’s own adventure is very emotional as well as thrilled that we , the readers can thrust ourselves on the road and be a part of his journey without any hesitation.
I must say the book is very well written as the author is successful to make me feel all the sound , sights and rhythm of the beautiful and colourful caravans and their cultures moving on the Gobi desert. The beautiful writing explain nicely the feelings of Chengli to be lost in desert , to lost his identity in the desert with his father and his journey to find them all with his coming of age. What I really liked most is the character building of Changli. How he is always modest and honest to his elders but strong at the same time.
The plot progressed very quickly but the description of the environment was very vivid. This makes the book a quick read yet very much enjoyable. Others secondary characters were also interesting but I think the author could have played so much with ‘the fourth brother’ to make the storyline much more interesting. I actually llove the female character Meiling not ending up as heroin of Changli as there was not that kind of vibe I feel between them at all and at the end finding such no relation satisfied me .
the descriptions of the Silk Road makes a lively setting and that’s the main star of the book. It’s very hard to write good books for the middle grads. The author kept the book short but very nicely handled and goes for the straight story plot with balanced character development. Adults might get to struggle to enjoy this one but highly recommended for the middle graders.
22_'s review against another edition
5.0
Today there is a large ethnic Korean population in Kazakhstan and neighboring countries, the grandchildren of Koreans who once lived in the eastern portions of the USSR and who survived the brutal deportation inflicted on them by the NKVD on the orders of the madman Stalin. Today, Koryo-saram are said to be well-integrated with modern Kazakh society, members having reached high public and corporate offices.
The writer is a scholar of Korean studies, surely aware of this story despite its superficial improbability, has made a story that seeks to illustrate the day-by-day concrete reality of these tendrils of intertwinedness that are woven into societies of all ages. This tale imagines a caravan trek from Chang'an to Kashgar and using modern names, invoking the magnificent caves at Dunhuang, the wastes of the Taklamakan and Gobi, the legendary oasis kingdoms of Hami, Turpan, and Kucha, was a worthy complement to other perhaps more serious works I've read. Names like Aurel Stein, Sven Hedin, & al. the Turks and Mongols, the Chinese and Persians, Bactria and Sogdiana, desert, mountain, and forest. The more academic work on these topics, written by people seeking to further a career impressing each other by using their knowledge to invent clever theories about the distant past, often lack the smells, the sameness, the ugly and sometimes warm humanity of reality that this story lives in.
A great project after reading this would be to make a cartographic representation of this journey using tools like D3.js or Google Earth.
The writer is a scholar of Korean studies, surely aware of this story despite its superficial improbability, has made a story that seeks to illustrate the day-by-day concrete reality of these tendrils of intertwinedness that are woven into societies of all ages. This tale imagines a caravan trek from Chang'an to Kashgar and using modern names, invoking the magnificent caves at Dunhuang, the wastes of the Taklamakan and Gobi, the legendary oasis kingdoms of Hami, Turpan, and Kucha, was a worthy complement to other perhaps more serious works I've read. Names like Aurel Stein, Sven Hedin, & al. the Turks and Mongols, the Chinese and Persians, Bactria and Sogdiana, desert, mountain, and forest. The more academic work on these topics, written by people seeking to further a career impressing each other by using their knowledge to invent clever theories about the distant past, often lack the smells, the sameness, the ugly and sometimes warm humanity of reality that this story lives in.
A great project after reading this would be to make a cartographic representation of this journey using tools like D3.js or Google Earth.
bearfamilyreads's review against another edition
3.5
Helpful to bring to life the city of Chang'an, the Silk Route along the Taklamakan Desert, and what life may have been like on a caravan journey during the Tang dynasty.
amac_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Chengli and the Silk Road is a work of historical fiction set in seventh century China. Chengli is a young teen who can hear a wind that no one else can even feel. While working for a merchant in a city, he begins to feel the urge to learn about his missing father and to follow the wind he hears. He’s given part of a jade pendant that belonged to his father and joins a caravan looking for answers. What sort of adventures will he have during his travels? Will he learn anything about his father?
This was an amazing work of historical fiction for young adults. The author did a fantastic job describing the setting and the atmosphere of the work. It was immersive and brought a great level of depth to the book. Fascinating cultural lore was also included that added depth. For example, fog rolling off the mountains was explained as a demon who pushed the clouds low over the land. Unique cultural views like this were present throughout the work, adding to its immersiveness.
The author also did an excellent job at writing relatable and enjoyable characters. The protagonist and most of the secondary characters were young teens, and the author managed to give them the voices of teens while still making them relatable to older audiences. While this book is geared towards a younger audience, I found it enjoyable as an older reader. The style was simple but not overly so.
The only thing I found to dislike about this work was that there were several errors throughout. While they were not large enough to detract from my enjoyment of the work overall, the book could use another round of editing.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in non-western historical fiction. This work is suitable for young adult readers as well.
I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
This was an amazing work of historical fiction for young adults. The author did a fantastic job describing the setting and the atmosphere of the work. It was immersive and brought a great level of depth to the book. Fascinating cultural lore was also included that added depth. For example, fog rolling off the mountains was explained as a demon who pushed the clouds low over the land. Unique cultural views like this were present throughout the work, adding to its immersiveness.
The author also did an excellent job at writing relatable and enjoyable characters. The protagonist and most of the secondary characters were young teens, and the author managed to give them the voices of teens while still making them relatable to older audiences. While this book is geared towards a younger audience, I found it enjoyable as an older reader. The style was simple but not overly so.
The only thing I found to dislike about this work was that there were several errors throughout. While they were not large enough to detract from my enjoyment of the work overall, the book could use another round of editing.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in non-western historical fiction. This work is suitable for young adult readers as well.
I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.